Congress Ministers Threaten to Quit Tamil Nadu Cabinet Over 2029 PM Bid

Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister S. Rajesh Kumar announced that he and Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan will resign from the state cabinet if the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) does not accept Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate for the 2029 parliamentary elections. Speaking at events in Marthandam and Kanyakumari, Kumar stated that the Congress ministers would immediately pull out of the government if the TVK continues to project Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay as the candidate for the premiership.

The ultimatum follows efforts by TVK leaders and PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna to position Vijay for the national office, supported by an India Today-CVoter survey ranking Vijay third in public support for the prime minister's post. This tension has strained the coalition government formed after the 2026 Assembly elections, where the TVK won 108 seats and secured Congress support on the condition of excluding communal forces.

The rift has manifested in the state assembly, where Congress MLA Tharahai Cuthbert was shifted to the front row of the opposition benches. The Bharatiya Janata Party has criticized the Indian National Congress for remaining in the TVK-led government despite these ideological differences. Kumar asserted that Gandhi has gained national popularity through his opposition to the BJP government's policies and remains the accepted candidate for the Congress and the electorate.